Renovation budget before listing

[Anonymous]

I was just looking at Zillow and noticed that there is a figure for repair costs before putting the house on the market. No idea how accurate this is.

[Anonymous]

I personally hate seeing a cheaply renovated house. It’s a deal breaker for me if it doesn’t look good AND I’m having to pay extra for it and I’ll need to pay again to redo it. It needs to be 100% a “before” or very well done.

Otherwise just clean up glaring issues, stage the place and put it on the market

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Update the baths. A typical full bath update costs $10k and a half bath $5k. Making these updates will significantly increase the appeal of the house.

Please share the names of contractors who will do a full bath update for $10K. I'm seeing prices 3x that for anyone who knows what they are doing--using the right materials in the showers, upgrading plumbing, installing fixtures that are truly appropriate for a $1.5M home. If you have a lead on someone still working at 2017 prices, I'd love to have it. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I personally hate seeing a cheaply renovated house. It’s a deal breaker for me if it doesn’t look good AND I’m having to pay extra for it and I’ll need to pay again to redo it. It needs to be 100% a “before” or very well done.

Otherwise just clean up glaring issues, stage the place and put it on the market

100% I hated touring houses where the kitchen was superficially updated ( eg cabinets painted, maybe new counters) but old small cabinets, old appliances, etc... if I'm going to have to redo the kitchen don't waste money on superficial crap I'll throw out but now costs more

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I personally hate seeing a cheaply renovated house. It’s a deal breaker for me if it doesn’t look good AND I’m having to pay extra for it and I’ll need to pay again to redo it. It needs to be 100% a “before” or very well done.

Otherwise just clean up glaring issues, stage the place and put it on the market

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think you either do very little (clean, easy repairs, paint, mulch) or you renovate the whole thing. The middle ground is expensive with poor returns. But you need to ask a few agents in your neighborhood with good track records.

I very much disagree with this. Depending on the specifics it may involve painting, certain flooring options. My elderly relatives' estate house was in good shape and some updates, but had 1950's green tub and tile - it got re-glazed white and you would never know.

This was right in the DC area, though not super-hot for teardowns in the immediate vicinity. The house itself was good and in solid shape.

I had been thinking I would like this type of update to my house myself several years into living here - though I have no intention of moving. It was an eye toward the "low hanging fruit" of a low budget and getting bang for your buck on widely-appealing renovations.

You can definitely tell if a bathroom has been “reglazed.” If I’m looking at a house, it means I’m budgeting to redo that bathroom.

Re reglazing - it won’t last for more than 3-4 years if at all and then look like crap.
As a buyer, I’d factor this in my offer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I personally hate seeing a cheaply renovated house. It’s a deal breaker for me if it doesn’t look good AND I’m having to pay extra for it and I’ll need to pay again to redo it. It needs to be 100% a “before” or very well done.

Otherwise just clean up glaring issues, stage the place and put it on the market

Agree. I would rather not pay more for new cheap carpet and builder grade cabinets. Just leave as is and I'll fix it myself if I want the house.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I personally hate seeing a cheaply renovated house. It’s a deal breaker for me if it doesn’t look good AND I’m having to pay extra for it and I’ll need to pay again to redo it. It needs to be 100% a “before” or very well done.

Otherwise just clean up glaring issues, stage the place and put it on the market

I totally agree with; however, you and I are in the minority. Most people want a ready to move in house that just looks good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Update the baths. A typical full bath update costs $10k and a half bath $5k. Making these updates will significantly increase the appeal of the house.

Last year we replaced our builder-grade deck-style bathtub with a free standing tub which then required us to re-tile the floor. It cost $6K and we did not touch the separate shower, the vanity/sinks, the toilet or anything else.

[Anonymous]

Depends on your area. Study sold listings first. My honest advice. Go to zillow and filter sold listings and look at photos, look at history of sale for a property. Find something similar and act accordingly. There is no universal advice. In some areas 1.5 mil is the top of the range and you are unlikely to sell if you want more even if it's nicer. In others it's a tear down and only worth the land price, should be sold as is